


what game shall we play today

by sabinelagrande



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Ank'Harel, Consensual Humiliation, Dom Vex'ahlia, Dom/sub, Embarrassment Kink, F/M, Femdom, Hand Feeding, Hookah, Kink Negotiation, Mentioned Keyleth/Vax'ildan, Post-Chroma Conclave, Public Humiliation, Public Kink, Semi-Public Sex, Sub Percy de Rolo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-29
Updated: 2016-11-29
Packaged: 2018-09-03 00:31:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8689588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sabinelagrande/pseuds/sabinelagrande
Summary: Percy and Vex have a little pastime.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to dizmo for reading this over!

It happens first in the City of Brass, when Vex casually slaps Percy's ass, like there's nothing wrong with it, like she's perfectly entitled to do it. Just once would have been a weird thing she did, but it doesn't stop. It's not always light spanking; she'll tweak the end of his nose as he's talking or poke fun at him when other people are around. No one seems to notice, and if they do, they don't care.

Percy certainly notices, but he's not sure where he stands on caring.

It comes to a head the next time they're in Vasselheim; it's the most comprehensive supplier of the things Percy needs most, and he desperately needs to restock. Vex is strolling along with him, a hand on his arm as they walk, serving the dual purposes of being a welcome companion and the steward of Percy's funds. 

Percy is shit at haggling, but he must be doing a decent job with this chemist, because Vex hasn't stepped in. They settle on a price, and Percy turns to Vex.

"A hundred and fifty gold, if you wouldn't mind?" Percy says.

"What do we say when we want money?" Vex says, dangling Percy's purse in front of him.

He's not sure what he's supposed to say, but he does know Vex's buttons. "Lady Vex'ahlia, you are very beautiful and charming and a paragon of women," he says. "May I please have some money?"

"Here you go, darling," Vex says, dropping coins into his hand. When he turns back, the chemist is looking between the two of them, poorly disguising a smirk. Percy realizes two things at once: one, he's embarrassed, but not as much as he should be; and two, he's _really_ into it.

They are very jarring things to realize, especially the second, but he just nods to the chemist, takes his purchases and Vex's hand, and leaves. They're a few streets away before Percy figures out how to say what he's thinking, the very new idea that he's turning over in his mind. 

"You're rather free with how you treat me," Percy says; this is probably not a conversation one should have on the street, but it's _definitely_ not one he wants to have at the Slayer's Take.

"I'm not sure I know what you mean," Vex says, and Percy almost stops there.

"Back at the chemist's, for example," he says, pushing on. "You do things that might be construed as you trying to humiliate me, or lessen me, or assert yourself over me."

"Does it bother you?" Vex asks, which is not the denial Percy expected. "Because if it makes you uncomfortable, it ends here."

"It doesn't bother me in the slightest," Percy says honestly. He pauses for an extended period, trying to marshal his thoughts. "I don't know how to say this."

"Just tell me," Vex says.

"I think I enjoy it more than you think," he says finally, "in a way I don't think you expected."

"Oh," Vex says, sounding both surprised and intrigued. "Can I ask why?"

Again he pauses; it's not that he doesn't know the answer, but that it's a thing with several parts, some of which confuse him. "It makes me feel like I belong to you," Percy says, which is the biggest chunk of it. 

A man passing by gives them both a strange look, which feels appropriate for this conversation.

"Well, you do," Vex says, squeezing Percy's hand, and a thrill goes through him. "If you like it so much, we can talk about doing it more." She grins. "Just our little game."

"I'd find that very agreeable," he says.

"Do you want to put up a fight, or should I stop when you say stop?" she asks. 

"I trust you to know when it's appropriate," Percy says, "or appropriately inappropriate, as the case may be."

"I need you to have an out, if you don't feel up to it or if I've gone too far," Vex pushes.

"We'll stick with stop for now and see how it works," Percy says.

"Alright," she says. She pecks him on the cheek. "We're going to have a delightful time, Percival."

And they do have an excellent time, though by outward appearances, little changes. It's the meaning of it instead, the way it satisfies something in Percy, something he didn't know was there before Vex. She knows the best ways to pick at him without hurting him, how to assert her control without making him feel worthless. 

He wouldn't want it if he thought she was doing it out of malice instead of mischief, but the sneaky little smiles they share tell him everything he needs to know. He never has to stop her, though he comes very close a time or two. Even that works for him; he can't explain why it feels so good when she rides the line, when it's almost too much to handle.

Sometimes he wonders if other people notice, and he can't decide how responsible for that he is. It's nothing they weren't doing before it took on additional meaning; he doesn't think he'd assume anything was out of the ordinary about another couple who acted like this. He wonders if it's fair to make other people party to this without permission, because it almost necessarily involves an audience of some kind.

But he's not going to stop.

There is one problem, which may be an actual problem or just Percy's own greed showing. He is Percival Frederickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo the third, a name that means something; there's nothing wrong with his seeming sweetly besotted with his traveling companion, but there's a line. The problem is that both Percy and Vex's names have come to mean a lot, in a lot of places. They're folk heroes in Westruun, nobility in Whitestone, council members in what remains of Emon- basically, if it's in Tal'Dorei, someone is going to be watching. Vex isn't going to do anything to undermine any of that.

But Percy can't stop wondering what it would be like to go just a little bit farther, be a little more obvious, attract a little more attention. He doesn't know whether he wants it just because he can't have it, but he thinks about it sometimes, what they could do in a city where they were a little less recognizable.

So naturally, when the opportunity presents itself, Percy jumps with both feet.

\--

Their business in Ank'Harel is rather ghastly, dropping off a dessicated severed hand, but the city itself is lovely once you get to know it. It also has the advantage of being one of the few cities now where Percy and Vex can walk around anonymously. Almost no one here knows who they are, even if they've heard of Vox Machina, and in Ank'Harel, people would probably pretend not to give a shit even if they actually gave one.

Their delivery done, there's talk of going to the casino, even though most of them have been ejected from it at one time or another.

"I don't care what the rest of you do," Vex says, taking Percy's arm. "We're going to smoke hookah and laze around on pillows. We'll see you in the morning at the Suncut Bazaar."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Scanlan says. "In fact, don't do anything I would do, either, especially here."

"I have no intention of spending fifty gold on a bag of spice," Vex says, which garners a laugh from everyone but Scanlan.

"Yeah, yeah," Scanlan says. "Just go."

The sun is just starting to set as they walk out into the city, Vex still leading Percy by the arm. "I have plans for you, darling," Vex says into his ear. "Think of all the fun we can have where no one knows our names."

"I'm thinking about it, and I'm anxious to see what you've come up with," Percy says.

"Leave everything to me," Vex says. "I promise you it'll be a night you won't soon forget."

The right spot is not hard to find; they go to the Suncut Bazaar and ask around, and soon enough they're entering a likely place. Vex sets it up, discussing terms with the woman at the front door before they're ushered inside. The place is essentially a series of tents ringing a large central patio, where people are conversing and smoking. There are partitions between the tents, dividing the place into rooms; Vex and Percy are escorted to one of the smaller ones. It's still big enough to be lavish, the floor covered with large pillows and blankets, surrounding a low central table.

Percy takes a moment to assess his surroundings. The heavy draperies that make the divisions between rooms don't go quite up to the ceiling, leaving large gaps where sound and light come through. Anyone on the patio could see into any of the rooms, and it would be nothing to listen in on one's neighbors. These rooms are clearly made for the illusion of privacy, where there is no actual privacy at all.

He couldn't have planned it better himself.

They've just made themselves comfortable when a steward appears in the doorway of their room. "I am Reha, and I will assist you today," he says. "What do you require?"

"A little of everything, I think," Vex says. "I heard something about a special that sounded marvelous."

"Right away," he says, leaving the room.

"Percival, dear," Vex says, putting one foot in his lap, then the other. "Take off my boots."

It starts here, then; Percy quickly undoes the buckles, slipping each one off her feet and setting them aside. "Is that better?"

"Show me something you're good at," she says, wiggling her toes at him. "Since you're no good at picking up on clues."

Percy takes one of her feet, pulling the sock off before he starts massaging it, digging in with his thumbs to work out the tension. Vex sighs happily, and it's loud enough that Percy reflexively looks out to the patio. No one is looking, but they could, just look over and see Vex treating him like her servant. He feels himself blush, and he looks back to Vex's feet, focusing on the task in front of him instead.

"Percy," Vex says softly, concern in her voice. "Is this okay? Do you want to stop?"

"This is excellent," Percy says, "and I have no intention of stopping."

Vex grins, kicking him lightly in the thigh. "Then get back to work."

Percy is on the second foot when Reha appears again, pushing a cart; Percy almost freezes, but he seems completely unfazed to have walked in on a foot massage. He sets plates and glasses down on the table, a pitcher of wine, a hookah already filled with water. Percy gets the distinct impression that the special is not going to save them any money, but right now, they're good for it.

"We have many flavors of shisha," Reha says, waving a hand at the tins on his cart, arranged around a brazier of live coals. "I have special today marasa, a local fruit." He hands Vex one of the tins, and she takes a sniff.

"That smells delicious," she says, and she doesn't offer it to Percy. "We'll take it."

Reha sets up the hookah with practiced movements, filling the bowl with the sweet tobacco and covering it before setting a coal on top. Percy pours the wine, offering one of the glasses to Vex, and Reha unobtrusively leaves them to their business.

"What shall we toast to?" Vex asks, raising her glass.

"To you," Percy says, looking her straight in the eye.

"What a clever answer," she says, and despite her imperious act, he can see that she's genuinely flattered. She clinks her glass against Percy's, and they drink. "Now, where should we even start?"

"The hookah will burn out eventually, so perhaps we should strike while the iron is hot," Percy says. "Or the coal, as it were."

"Good thinking," Vex says. She puts one of the hoses between her lips and sucks; it takes a few pulls before she blows out a stream of white smoke.

"How is it?" Percy asks.

"It tastes a little like strawberries," Vex says. "It's quite lovely." She holds the other hose out to him. "Go on, try it."

Percy takes it, sucking in; it is indeed a kind of berry flavor, matching nicely with the wine. They smoke in silence for a while, and Percy looks out onto the patio, studying the other patrons. Now that the sun has gone down, more people have arrived, wine flowing freely among them. They laugh and chatter and pay no attention to Percy or Vex or anyone else in the periphery. As exciting as it is to think about being watched, Percy takes a measure of comfort in their indifference.

Vex reaches for the food first; there is an assortment of bread, meat, and sauces, most of which Percy has never seen before. She tears off a piece of bread, picking one of the dips seemingly at random and spooning some onto it. She pops it in her mouth, making a noise of pleasure as she chews.

"That good?" Percy asks.

"You have to try this," Vex says. "I have no idea what it is, but it's divine."

Percy reaches out to take a piece of bread, but Vex pushes his hand away and does it herself. She dips it in the spread, holding it out to him.

"Open up," Vex says. He hesitates for a moment too long, because she adds, "Come on, Percival, it's not nice to keep me waiting."

Percy thinks then that he might have to stop; he's done a lot in service to this game, but being fed by hand in public is a big step. It's the most obvious, most intimate thing they've ever done, and anyone looking in will know exactly where Percy stands.

But something is so appealing about the way it twists him up, gets him down deep somewhere. It's wrong and he wants it, wants it to be obvious how much control Vex has over him, like he's just a plaything she can toy with how she pleases.

Percy opens his mouth.

"What a very good boy," Vex says, feeding him the bread. It is delicious, the spread spicy and rich. When he's done chewing, Vex leans over and pecks him on the cheek. "I'm proud of you."

"Thank you," Percy says. He nods at the table. "I'm curious about that green one."

"Then let's try it," Vex says, putting it on two bites of bread and once again feeding Percy his. They finish the food off like that, Percy's hands not even touching the plate. Vex's fingers brush against his lips incidentally, and every time Percy feels them it heightens the thrilling tension inside of him. His body is buzzing with anticipation, but it feels good to sit with that feeling, just let it build and build until he can hardly stand it.

Reha refills the hookah and brings more wine, and they smoke and talk idly, avoiding the more pressing concerns in their lives. The night is wearing on; the patio is still jumping, but some of the outer rooms have their curtains closed, like the occupants are going to sleep or conducting private business. Percy wonders how long he'll be able to stand it, the balance between knowing he could be alone with Vex and wanting to keep up this game.

Vex forces his hand, which is, after all, the point. She crawls over, sitting sideways in his lap and putting her arms around his neck. If they're going to draw attention, it's going to be now; it has occurred to Percy that a lot of what they do is not that compelling without audio, but this is bound to make people look.

"Tell me something you adore about me," Vex says.

"Hmm," Percy says, pretending to ponder it deeply. "Well, starting with purely physical attributes, you have the body of a goddess."

"I'm not sure that's a compliment," she says. "You can't stand goddesses."

"It's an expression," he replies. "What I meant by it was that your body is without mortal parallel."

"I like that better," Vex says. "Go on."

"You have the most captivating eyes, that one could easily get lost in," he says. "But selfishly, my favorite part of your body is-"

There's a polite cough at the doorway, and Percy looks up to see Reha standing there. He's looking between the two of them, and Percy wonders if they're about to get reprimanded or asked to leave; his face flushes, and he prepares to repair the damage with liberal amounts of coin. But no, Reha just takes the hookah and puts it on his cart, then begins undoing the fastenings of the curtains that separate their room from the patio. 

"Please keep the curtains closed," he says. He says something in Marquesian, and something happens, the noise from the other rooms suddenly dampened. "If you need assistance, step all the way out of your room before asking." He pulls back the curtain and steps through the doorway. "Please enjoy your n-" Percy can see him form the word _night_ , but the sound cuts off abruptly when he steps beyond the curtain.

"They're ready for this," Percy says, impressed.

"I get the idea that it's hard to surprise people from Ank'Harel," Vex says. She doesn't waste a moment, just pushes Percy onto his back, swinging a leg over his hips to straddle him. He groans when she grinds down on him, pressing up to meet her, and Vex bends down and kisses him, biting and rough and utterly possessive.

"They all know what we're doing in here," Vex says into his ear. "Everybody saw what I did to you and how much you liked it. Everyone knows I can do whatever I like, and you'll still give me everything I want."

"And what do you want?" Percy says.

Vex grins, climbing off him and reaching for his trousers. "I don't think you need to ask, darling."

They don't make it all the way out of their clothes before Vex is on him again, bracing herself on his chest as she takes him inside of her, all the way down in one smooth motion. She bites her lip, moaning in satisfaction as she starts to ride him. She leans back, her hips working steadily, unhurried, and Percy slides his hands up her thighs, thumbing her clit as she moves.

"That's it," she sighs. "I know what you're good for, Percival."

"Gunsmithing," he says, deadpan, and she laughs, smacking him in the chest. "Carry on."

"You ridiculous boy," she says. "It's a good thing I'm very fond of you."

"I endeavor to keep it that way," Percy says. He moves a little faster, pushing up to meet her, a hand on her hip to guide her on.

"Keep doing that, and you'll be just fine," Vex says.

Percy isn't sure he's ever felt like this, so full of sensation. He wanted to know how far it could go, and the answer is this point, where all of him is so utterly overtaken by Vex that he can't even seem to see anything else. There's nothing but her body above his, nothing that intervenes. He's not even sure he'd stop if someone opened the curtain; he's past the point of hiding how much he wants this, how powerless he is in the face of a force like Vex.

Vex is moving faster now, taking him deep every time she pushes down, and Percy hastens to keep up, do everything within his power to make this as good for her as possible. He can't imagine a higher purpose right now than getting her off, nothing he's better suited for. He has a lot of aspirations, but they all seem so small in comparison to worshipping her.

"Fuck, Percy," she says, breathless. "Just a little more, give it to me-"

"Everything you want," he says reverently. He bends his knees, giving himself more leverage, and she makes a noise of surprise at the change that turns into a moan. He thrusts up into her quickly, trying to give it to her exactly how she wants it. She clutches at him, her fingernails biting into his skin as she comes, clenching around him. He keeps moving, trying to draw it out as long as he can, make her feel as good as possible for as long as possible.

She finally puts a hand on his stomach, pushing him down. "Stop," she says, and it's only then that Percy realizes he sort of forgot to come. It just didn't seem important at the time, not compared to pleasing her, and he wonders if he missed his window. Vex doesn't address it, just climbs off of him, laying down beside him and putting her head on his shoulder.

"I'm not sure how to ask this," he says; Vex looks at him in confusion, and Percy looks down at himself significantly. 

Vex laughs, draping an arm over his chest. "Relax, dear," she says. "We have all night."

It is not what Percy wanted to hear, but also somehow so appropriate. "And I am very much looking forward to it," he replies, because he finds that he truly is.

"I have you exactly where I want you, don't I?" Vex says, smiling, and something about it reminds Percy of what she's like underneath all of this, kind and generous and cunning and just a little awkward. Percy loves all of it, the entirety of this woman, no matter what games they might play.

"There is no place I'd rather be," Percy says.

* * *

The rest of Vox Machina does go to the casino, and they all get kicked out again.

"I was _this_ close," Scanlan says. "One more second and I would have had it."

"Your sleight of hand needs serious work," Vax says, rolling a gold piece over the backs of his fingers, the only winnings they managed to leave with.

"I don't remember your own legerdemain working out all that well," Scanlan replies, wiggling his fingers, to which Vax shrugs.

"Let's find Percy and Vex," Keyleth, who managed to hit the bar pretty hard before they were bounced, says; she leans heavily against Vax as they walk. "I wanna smoke hookah too."

"We shouldn't interrupt them," Grog says. "They're probably doing their sex game."

" _Excuse me_?" Vax says, stopping in his tracks, which startles Keyleth, who wobbles slightly before coming to a stop.

"You know," Grog says. "Where she teases him and he gets off on it." Everyone stares at him, and he looks back at them quizzically. "I thought everybody knew about the sex game, and we was just being discreet."

"I thought he was just whipped!" Scanlan says.

"Is that part of the sex game?" Pike says. Grog puts his hand out for a fistbump, and she meets him with her gauntlet.

"Pike," Scanlan says, aghast. "What would Sarenrae say if she heard you say that? I mean, it was a good one, but-"

Keyleth says nothing during this conversation, just has a look like she's trying to process this information and failing.

"Can we _please_ not talk about what rocks my sister's boat?" Vax says.

"Nothing wrong with a little sexy playtime," Grog says nonchalantly. "All I'm saying is we should find our own hookah."

"Let's find that and some hard liquor, because I need to wash this conversation out of my brain," Vax says.

"And wine!" Keyleth says brightly. "Let's go find wine."

"I'm all for it," Scanlan says. "To the Suncut Bazaar, I suppose."

"Vax," Keyleth says as they leave, in what she probably thinks is a whisper and is not. "Vax, can we play a sex game?"

Vax wishes more than anything that he had his ring of invisibility attuned, because there is nothing in the world he would like more than to walk away.


End file.
